US7517079B2 - Image forming method and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Image forming method and image forming apparatus Download PDF

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Publication number
US7517079B2
US7517079B2 US11/385,403 US38540306A US7517079B2 US 7517079 B2 US7517079 B2 US 7517079B2 US 38540306 A US38540306 A US 38540306A US 7517079 B2 US7517079 B2 US 7517079B2
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United States
Prior art keywords
sheet
recording
transporting means
sheet medium
roller pair
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Expired - Fee Related, expires
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US11/385,403
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English (en)
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US20060227195A1 (en
Inventor
Noriyuki Arai
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Canon Inc
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Canon Inc
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Priority claimed from JP2005088620A external-priority patent/JP2006264238A/ja
Priority claimed from JP2005128965A external-priority patent/JP2006306542A/ja
Priority claimed from JP2005168211A external-priority patent/JP2006341441A/ja
Application filed by Canon Inc filed Critical Canon Inc
Assigned to CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA reassignment CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: ARAI, NORIYUKI
Publication of US20060227195A1 publication Critical patent/US20060227195A1/en
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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q30/00—Commerce
    • G06Q30/02—Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
    • G06Q30/0241—Advertisements
    • G06Q30/0277—Online advertisement
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J13/00—Devices or arrangements of selective printing mechanisms, e.g. ink-jet printers or thermal printers, specially adapted for supporting or handling copy material in short lengths, e.g. sheets
    • B41J13/10—Sheet holders, retainers, movable guides, or stationary guides
    • B41J13/14—Aprons or guides for the printing section
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J11/00—Devices or arrangements  of selective printing mechanisms, e.g. ink-jet printers or thermal printers, for supporting or handling copy material in sheet or web form
    • B41J11/0065—Means for printing without leaving a margin on at least one edge of the copy material, e.g. edge-to-edge printing
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
    • G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
    • G06K19/00—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings
    • G06K19/06—Record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings characterised by the kind of the digital marking, e.g. shape, nature, code
    • G06K19/067—Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components
    • G06K19/07—Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components with integrated circuit chips
    • G06K19/0723—Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components with integrated circuit chips the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to an image forming method and an image forming apparatus for use in a printer unit and a facsimile unit including a recording head as recording means.
  • ink thermal dye sublimation printers that print image information on a sheet of chemically treated recording paper using a thermal transfer ribbon have a recording head and a platen roller.
  • the platen roller presses the sheet against the recording head when an image is formed.
  • a plurality of heating elements are arranged in a line and a plurality of the lines are arranged in parallel. The heating elements are selectively heated on the basis of image information so that ink on the ink ribbon sublimes and the image information is transferred to a recording surface of the sheet. Thus, a print operation is performed.
  • the sheet transport mechanism includes a powered feed roller and a cooperating presser roller.
  • the two rollers pinch the sheet and pull the sheet through to transport the sheet.
  • such a transport mechanism is disposed upstream or downstream of the recording head.
  • the transport mechanism pinches the sheet to support the sheet at all times.
  • Technology associated with such a mechanism is described in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 08-108590.
  • one color print operation is performed once per transportation of the sheet. By driving the feed roller in a clockwise direction or in a counterclockwise direction, a different color ink is printed one on top of the other. Thus, a color image is formed.
  • the present invention provides an image forming method and an image forming apparatus for forming an image on the entire recording area of a sheet without losing a space for a margin, thereby making efficient use of the recording area of the sheet.
  • an image forming method there is provided an image forming apparatus.
  • an image forming method includes the steps of feeding a sheet medium to be recorded upon by forming an image thereon into an image forming unit by using first transporting means disposed on the upstream side of the image forming unit when forming an image in the first half recording area starting from a recording start edge of the sheet medium, and pulling out the sheet medium from the image forming unit and transporting the sheet medium by using second transporting means disposed on the downstream side of the image forming unit when forming an image in the second half recording area of the sheet medium so as to form an image substantially in the entire surface of the sheet medium with a minimum margin.
  • the sheet medium is transported from the upstream side to the downstream side while passing over the image forming unit.
  • the first transporting means disposed on the upstream side is responsible for transporting the sheet medium and feeds the sheet medium into the image forming unit.
  • the second transporting means disposed on the downstream side is responsible for transporting the sheet medium by gripping and pulling in the sheet medium.
  • an image forming apparatus includes a feeder unit for feeding a sheet medium, an image forming unit for forming an image on the sheet medium, first transporting means for transporting the sheet medium, and second transporting means for transporting the sheet medium.
  • the sheet medium is fed from the feeder unit, the sheet medium passes over the image forming unit.
  • the sheet medium is fed from the upstream side towards the image forming unit in the opposite direction by using the first transporting means disposed on the upstream side, an image is formed on the sheet medium by the image forming unit, and the sheet medium is pulled out from the image forming unit towards the downstream side by the second transporting means disposed on the downstream side.
  • the sheet medium fed from the feeder unit e.g., feeder cassette
  • the image forming unit forms an image on the sheet medium while the sheet medium is being transported from the upstream side to the downstream side.
  • the first transporting means disposed on the upstream side is responsible to transport the sheet medium while the first half recording area in the transport direction is being recorded.
  • the second transporting means disposed on the downstream side is responsible to transport the sheet medium while the second half recording area in the transport direction is being recorded. That is, spaces for pinching and gripping the sheet medium are not necessary at the leading edge and the trailing edge of the sheet medium in the transport direction. Accordingly, an image can be formed in the entire area along the entire length of the sheet medium.
  • first transporting means and second transporting means pinch the sheet medium to feed the sheet medium into the image forming unit and pull out the sheet medium from the image forming unit.
  • first transporting means and second transporting means are provided on the upstream side and on the downstream side of an image forming unit, respectively.
  • the first transporting means and the second transporting means are responsible for transporting the sheet medium while recording the first half recording area and the first half recording area of the sheet medium in the transport direction, respectively.
  • This structure eliminates the need for margins for pinching and gripping the sheet medium at the leading edge and the trailing edge of the sheet medium in the transport direction in order to feed and pull out the sheet medium into and from the image forming unit.
  • an image can be formed on the entire recording area of the sheet medium without losing a space for a margin, thereby making efficient use of the recording area of the sheet medium.
  • FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a thermal printer, which is one type of image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 2 is a sectional view illustrating the operation of a pinch adjustment mechanism provided in an upstream transport roller and a downstream transport roller according to the embodiment.
  • FIG. 3 is another sectional view illustrating the operation of the pinch adjustment mechanism provided in the upstream transport roller and the downstream transport roller according to the embodiment.
  • FIG. 4 is another sectional view illustrating the operation of the pinch adjustment mechanism provided in the upstream transport roller and the downstream transport roller according to the embodiment.
  • FIG. 5 is a circuit block diagram according to the embodiment.
  • FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view of a recording apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 7 illustrates a downstream rotator pair in which the leading edge of a recording medium is brought into contact with one of the rotators of the downstream rotator pair according to the second embodiment.
  • FIG. 8 illustrates an upstream rotator pair when the upstream rotator pair releases the pinch of the recording medium according to the second embodiment.
  • FIG. 9 illustrates a gear train for driving a transport roller according to the first embodiment or the second embodiment.
  • FIG. 10 illustrates a gear train for driving the transport roller according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 1 illustrates a main portion of a thermal printer 1 as an embodiment of an image forming apparatus.
  • Image information is delivered from an upper-level system including a digital apparatus (e.g., a personal computer or a digital camera) or a host computer to a control unit (not shown) of the thermal printer 1 via, for example, a connection cable.
  • the control unit Upon receiving the image information, the control unit starts a recording operation to form an image on a sheet 3 of recording paper.
  • the sheet 3 contained in a feeder tray (feeder unit) 2 is pressed against a feed roller 6 by an up/down plate 5 that swings up and down about an up/down plate shaft 4 . Rotation of the feed roller 6 picks up the sheet 3 .
  • the sheet 3 is then fed into the apparatus body.
  • the main part of an image forming unit of the thermal printer 1 is a recording head 10 serving as recording means that records an image on the sheet 3 .
  • the sheet 3 fed by the feed roller 6 is transported until the sheet 3 passes through the recording head 10 .
  • the position at the left of the recording head 10 is the position at which a recording operation on the sheet 3 starts.
  • the sheet 3 is delivered from the feeder tray 2 located at the right of the recording head 10 to the recording start position located at the left of the recording head 10 . Subsequently, the sheet 3 moves back in a direction indicated by arrow D to start an image forming operation.
  • the left side from the recording head 10 of the image forming unit is referred to as an upstream side of a sheet transport system.
  • the right side from the recording head 10 is referred to as a downstream side of the sheet transport system.
  • the direction from the upstream side to the downstream side is referred to as a “print delivery” direction.
  • the direction from the downstream side to the upstream side i.e., feed direction from the feeder tray 2 ) is referred to as a “feed” direction.
  • first delivery means (hereinafter referred to as an “upstream delivery roller pair 7 ”) is provided on the upstream side of the recording head 10 .
  • second delivery means (hereinafter referred to as a “downstream delivery roller pair 8 ”) including upper and lower delivery rollers is provided.
  • Each of the upstream and downstream delivery roller pairs 7 and 8 is rotatable in both rotational directions, namely, in the counterclockwise direction so as to deliver the sheet 3 in the print delivery direction and in the clockwise direction so as to deliver the sheet 3 in the feed direction. That is, the sheet 3 fed from the feeder tray 2 is delivered into the interior of the apparatus body from the downstream delivery roller pair 8 . Subsequently, the sheet 3 is delivered to the recording start position in cooperation with the upstream delivery roller pair 7 .
  • a pinch adjustment mechanism in the upstream delivery roller pair 7 and the downstream delivery roller pair 8 is now herein described with reference to all of the drawings subsequent to FIG. 2 .
  • the pinch adjustment mechanism of the upstream delivery roller pair 7 includes a feed roller 20 , a sheet pressure roller 21 , a sheet pressure lever 22 , and a roller pressure spring 23 .
  • the feed roller 20 includes a roller shaft serving as a rotation shaft. Both ends of the roller shaft are supported by a housing of the printer apparatus.
  • a gear (not shown) is formed at one end of the feed roller 20 . This gear is engaged with a driving gear train (not shown) whose one end is coupled with a transport motor 217 (see FIG. 5 ) serving as a rotary drive source.
  • the rotation of the rotary drive source rotates the feed roller 20 .
  • On a surface of the feed roller 20 a plurality of irregularities is formed so that the feed roller 20 can reliably grip and feed the sheet 3 .
  • the sheet pressure roller 21 is disposed in parallel to the feed roller 20 . Both ends of the sheet pressure roller 21 are rotatably supported by the sheet pressure lever 22 . To prevent the irregularities formed on the surface of the feed roller 20 from being damaged, a spacer (not shown) is disposed between the feed roller 20 and the sheet pressure roller 21 so that a gap with a predetermined size is formed between the feed roller 20 and the sheet pressure roller 21 .
  • the sheet pressure lever 22 is rotatably supported by a sheet pressure lever shaft 24 , which is supported by a housing of the apparatus.
  • the roller pressuring spring 23 is an extension spring whose both ends are hooked portions respectively hooked to the sheet pressure lever 22 and the housing.
  • the sheet pressure roller 21 is in contact with the feed roller 20 via the sheet pressure lever 22 at a predetermined pressure.
  • the sheet 3 is pinched by the feed roller 20 and the sheet pressure roller 21 in a gap therebetween.
  • the irregularities formed on the surface of the feed roller 20 can help the feed roller 20 reliably grip and feed the sheet 3 .
  • the downstream delivery roller pair 8 basically has the similar structure to that of the upstream delivery roller pair 7 , and therefore, the same components as those in the upstream delivery roller pair 7 are designated by the same reference numerals and the descriptions are not repeated.
  • a cam portion 19 includes a cam gear 25 rotatably supported by a cam gear shaft 26 .
  • the cam gear 25 is driven by a cam motor 218 , which is a different rotary drive source from that of the feed roller 20 .
  • a second cam gear 28 is rotatably supported by a second cam gear shaft 27 .
  • the second cam gear 28 is mounted at either end of the second cam gear shaft 27 and is engaged with a gear portion 25 a of the cam gear 25 .
  • the second cam gear 28 includes a cam-shaped section 29 . As shown in FIG. 4 , the cam-shaped section 29 can push up the sheet pressure lever 22 of the upstream delivery roller pair 7 . By pushing up the sheet pressure lever 22 , the second cam gear 28 can move the sheet pressure roller 21 of the upstream delivery roller pair 7 so as to increase the size of the gap between the feed roller 20 and the sheet pressure roller 21 .
  • a cam 30 is rotatably attached to either end of a platen roller shaft 31 .
  • the cam 30 is turned by the second cam gear 28 .
  • a protrusion 28 a provided on the second cam gear 28 is engaged with a depression 32 a provided on the cam 30 so that the rotation of the second cam gear 28 is transferred to the cam 30 .
  • a cam-shaped section 32 provided on the cam 30 can push up the sheet pressure lever 22 of the downstream delivery roller pair 8 . By pushing up the sheet pressure lever 22 , the cam 30 can move the sheet pressure roller 21 of the downstream delivery roller pair 8 so as to increase the size of the gap between the feed roller 20 and the sheet pressure roller 21 , as shown in FIG. 2 .
  • FIG. 5 is a control block diagram of a printer apparatus.
  • a control board 201 serving as a control unit includes a central processing unit (CPU) 210 , a read only memory (ROM) 211 , a random access memory (RAM) 212 , a head driver 213 , and motor drivers 214 .
  • the CPU 210 controls a duplex recording unit and outputs a variety of control commands.
  • the ROM 211 stores control data and the like.
  • the RAM 212 serves as an area where recording data is expanded.
  • the head driver 213 drives the recording head (thermal head) 10 .
  • An ink ribbon motor 215 drives a pulley 15 to reel in an ink ribbon 14 .
  • a feed motor 216 drives the feed roller 6 .
  • a transport motor 217 drives the feed roller 20 of the upstream delivery roller pair 7 , the feed roller 20 of the upstream delivery roller pair 8 , and a platen roller 11 .
  • the plurality of motor drivers 214 drive the above-described motors.
  • a solenoid 219 is an actuator used to move a head arm.
  • An interface 230 receives and transmits data from and to a host apparatus 250 (e.g., a computer or a digital camera).
  • the sheet 3 is picked up from the feeder tray 2 by the feed roller 6 , and the feeding of the sheet 3 starts.
  • the recording head 10 and the platen roller 11 operate so that the distance between the recording head 10 and the platen roller 11 increases and a gap that allows the sheet 3 to pass therethrough is ensured between the recording head 10 and the platen roller 11 .
  • the pinch adjustment mechanism (see FIGS. 2 , 3 , and 4 ) operates so that an optimum gap for griping and feeding the sheet 3 is determined to be the thickness of the sheet 3 .
  • a sheet detection sensor 9 detects the passage of the trailing edge of the sheet 3 (starting edge when recording is started).
  • the control unit of the thermal printer 1 outputs an operation-stop signal on the basis of a sheet-passage detection signal from the sheet detection sensor 9 to stop the rotation of the upstream delivery roller pair 7 and the downstream delivery roller pair 8 driven by the transport motor 217 .
  • the feeding-in of the sheet 3 is stopped.
  • the position at which the sheet 3 is stopped is the recording start position.
  • the control unit of the thermal printer 1 outputs an operation-switch signal to rotate the transport motor 217 in the opposite direction from that during feed-in time.
  • the feed roller 20 of the upstream delivery roller pair 7 starts rotating in the clockwise direction so that the sheet 3 that has been stopped at the recording start position advances towards the recording head 10 in the print-feed direction shown by arrow D in the drawings.
  • the trailing edge of the sheet 3 at the feed-in time becomes the recording start edge and moves towards the recording head 10 .
  • An image is formed in an area from exactly at the recording start edge to substantially the middle point of the sheet 3 .
  • recording is performed in the first half recording area of the sheet 3 .
  • the recording start edge of the sheet 3 whose first half recording area has been recorded moves towards the downstream delivery roller pair 8 .
  • the pinch adjustment mechanism of the downstream delivery roller pair 8 increases the gap size between the rollers to a size greater than or equal to the thickness of the sheet 3 so that the downstream delivery roller pair 8 is ready for receiving the sheet 3 . That is, the state shown in FIG. 2 is achieved by the cam motor 218 .
  • the downstream delivery roller pair 8 receives the sheet 3 from the upstream delivery roller pair 7 .
  • the downstream delivery roller pair 8 grips the sheet 3 at the recording start edge to pull in the sheet 3 .
  • the recording continues in the second half recording area of the sheet 3 and the remaining image is formed in that area.
  • the recording head 10 which swings about a head arm shaft 13 , moves towards the platen roller 11 to press the ink ribbon 14 and the sheet 3 together against the platen roller 11 .
  • the pinch adjustment mechanism of the upstream delivery roller pair 7 is activated so that a gap size between the rollers are adjusted to an optimum size for gripping the sheet 3 and feeding the sheet 3 to a position corresponding to the recording head 10 .
  • the recording operation starts.
  • the upstream delivery roller pair 7 is activated to grip the sheet 3 and feed the sheet 3 in the print feed direction towards the downstream side.
  • the upstream delivery roller pair 7 is responsible for feeding the sheet 3 during image formation in the first half recording area starting from the printing start edge of the sheet 3 .
  • the pulley (ink ribbon take-up reel) 15 rotates to start reeling in the ink ribbon 14 whose ink has been transferred to the sheet 3 .
  • the ink ribbon 14 not used for transfer is wound around an ink ribbon supply reel 16 , which supplies the ink ribbon 14 in synchronization with the reeling operation of the ink ribbon take-up reel 15 .
  • the downstream delivery roller pair 8 is responsible for feeding the sheet 3 during image formation in the second half recording area of the sheet 3 after receiving the sheet 3 whose first half recording area has been recorded.
  • the pinch adjustment mechanism of the downstream delivery roller pair 8 increases the gap size between the rollers to a size greater than or equal to the thickness of the sheet 3 so that a transport friction force is not applied to the sheet 3 .
  • the reason why the friction force is not applied to the sheet 3 in the downstream delivery roller pair 8 is that a shock is reduced when the image forming start edge of the sheet 3 enters a sheet holding portion that has a small nip.
  • the cam motor 218 is driven to rotate the cam gear 25 and the cam 30 , as shown in FIG. 4 .
  • the gap size between the rollers of the downstream delivery roller pair 8 is decreased to pinch and feed the sheet 3 .
  • the gap size between the rollers of the upstream delivery roller pair 7 is increased to a size more than or equal to the thickness of the sheet 3 by the cam-shaped section 29 , and therefore, the upstream delivery roller pair 7 does not interrupt the movement of the sheet 3 towards the downward direction.
  • the moving distances, in practice, are different due to part-to-part variation in precision. Additionally, if the feed time for which the upstream delivery roller pair 7 and the downstream delivery roller pair 8 grip the leading edge and trailing edge of the sheet 3 is too long, the sheet 3 may become stretched or deflected between the upstream delivery roller pair 7 and the downstream delivery roller pair 8 . As a result, the feeding speed varies, thereby causing uneven density on a print image. To prevent the variation in the feeding speed and output a stable high-quality print image, the upstream delivery roller pair 7 and the downstream delivery roller pair 8 are controlled so that the feeding forces of the two do not act at the same time.
  • the downstream delivery roller pair 8 continues to feed the sheet 3 until the recording end edge of the second half recording area of the sheet 3 passes the heating element line 12 on the recording head 10 .
  • the rotation of the downstream delivery roller pair 8 is stopped.
  • the reeling operation of the ink ribbon 14 is stopped.
  • a recording operation to form an image of a first color is completed. This operation is repeated several times for all the colors so that ink of several different colors is printed on the sheet 3 one on top of the other to form a color image.
  • the sheet 3 is led to an exit path by a flap 17 .
  • the recorded sheet 3 is output onto the feeder tray 2 by the feed roller 6 and an output paper pressure roller 18 which cooperatively work together.
  • a recording operation can be performed by forming an image substantially in the entire length area starting from the leading edge to the trailing edge of the sheet 3 in the feed direction.
  • margins corresponding to spaces for gripping are not generated at the leading edge and the trailing edge of the sheet 3 that are generated in a known printer apparatus. As a result, the entire space of the sheet 3 can be efficiently used.
  • the downstream delivery roller pair 8 pinches the sheet 3 at the same time as the upstream delivery roller pair 7 increases the gap size between the rollers thereof.
  • the upstream delivery roller pair 8 may pinch the sheet 3 while the upstream delivery roller pair 7 pinches the sheet 3 . Thereafter, the upstream delivery roller pair 7 may increase the gap size between the rollers thereof.
  • FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view of the recording apparatus.
  • FIG. 7 illustrates a downstream rotator pair in which a recording medium is brought into contact with one of the rotators of the downstream rotator pair.
  • FIG. 8 illustrates an upstream rotator pair when the upstream rotator pair releases the pinch of the recording medium.
  • a recording apparatus 301 is a thermal printer that heats an ink ribbon by using a thermal head so as to record an image in accordance with an image signal.
  • the recording apparatus 301 receives image information transmitted from a computer or a digital apparatus (e.g., a digital camera) via a connection cable or the like (not shown). In response to the reception of the image information, the recording apparatus 301 starts a recording operation on a recording medium.
  • a computer or a digital apparatus e.g., a digital camera
  • a connection cable or the like not shown.
  • the recording apparatus 301 Upon receiving a recording start signal, the recording apparatus 301 causes an up/down plate 305 pivotable about an up/down plate shaft 304 to move a recording sheet 303 , which is a recording medium contained in a print paper tray 302 .
  • the recording sheet 303 is brought into contact with a rotating input and output roller 306 so that the sheet 3 is fed into the apparatus body.
  • the fed recording sheet 303 is transported by sheet transporting means 307 and 308 in a direction opposite to a direction shown by arrow D.
  • the sheet transporting means 307 is disposed on the upstream side of a thermal head 310 in the sheet feed direction (hereinafter simply referred to as “upstream transporting means”), while the sheet transporting means 308 is disposed on the downstream side of a thermal head 310 in the sheet feed direction (hereinafter simply referred to as an “downstream transporting means”).
  • Each of the sheet transporting means 307 and 308 includes a pair of rollers, which are rotators. The roller pair pinches the recording sheet 303 so as to feed the recording sheet 303 .
  • the upstream transporting means 307 and the downstream transporting means 308 stop feeding the recording sheet 303 in response to a command from the recording apparatus 301 .
  • the upstream transporting means 307 and the sheet transporting means 308 start feeding the recording sheet 303 in the direction opposite to the current direction of feeding the recording sheet 303 , namely, in the direction shown by arrow D.
  • the recording sheet 303 is stopped.
  • the thermal head 310 starts to move towards the platen roller 311 using a head arm shaft 313 as a fulcrum so that an ink ribbon 314 and the recording sheet 303 are pressed against the platen roller 311 . It is noted that the platen roller 311 is rotatably supported by the body of the recording apparatus 301 .
  • a recording operation on the recording sheet 303 is started. That is, the heating element line 312 on the thermal head 310 is started to be energized on the basis of the image information. Ink of the ink ribbon 314 fed from an ink ribbon supply unit 316 is started to be transferred onto the recording sheet 303 .
  • the upstream transporting means 307 starts feeding the recording sheet 303 in the downstream direction.
  • an ink ribbon take-up unit 315 starts to wind the ink ribbon whose ink has been transferred onto the recording sheet 303 .
  • the recording sheet 303 continues to be fed in the downstream direction.
  • the upstream transporting means 307 and the downstream transporting means 308 pinch the recording sheet 303 and transport the recording sheet 303 .
  • the two rollers of the upstream transporting means 307 are separated from each other by a distance that is greater than or equal to the thickness of the recording sheet 303 .
  • these rollers release the grip of the recording sheet 303 before the recording start edge of the recording sheet 303 passes the upstream roller pair so that the recording sheet 303 is transported by only the downstream transporting means 308 (see FIG. 8 ).
  • the moving distance of the recording sheet 303 moved by the upstream transporting means 307 is set to be equal to the moving distance of the sheet 3 moved by the downstream transporting means 308 . Accordingly, if the feed time for which the upstream transporting means 307 and the downstream transporting means 308 pinch the recording sheet 303 is too long, the recording sheet 303 may become stretched or deflected between the upstream transporting means 307 and the downstream transporting means 308 . As a result, uneven density may appear in a recorded image. In the recording apparatus according to this embodiment, to address this issue, the two rollers release the recording sheet before the recording sheet passes by the upstream transport roller pair.
  • the downstream transporting means 308 continues to transport the recording sheet 303 until the recording sheet 303 passes the heating element line 312 on the thermal head 310 . Subsequently, the rotation of the upstream transporting means 307 and the downstream transporting means 308 is stopped. Also, the reeling operation of the ink ribbon 314 is stopped. Thus, a printing operation for the first color is completed.
  • This operation is repeated several times for all the colors so that ink of several different colors is printed on the recording sheet 303 one on top of the other to form a color image.
  • the recording sheet 303 is led to an exit path by a flap 317 .
  • the recording sheet 303 is output onto the print paper tray 302 by the rotating input and output roller 306 and an output paper pressure roller 318 .
  • the recording apparatus 301 includes the sheet transporting means on the upstream side and the downstream side of the recording unit.
  • the upstream transporting means 307 transports the recording sheet 303 .
  • the downstream transporting means 308 transports the recording sheet 303 . Therefore, a recording operation can be performed without generating margins corresponding to a space for gripping at the leading edge or the trailing edge of the recording sheet 303 .
  • the gear train has a structure shown in FIG. 9 .
  • a drive force from a rotary drive source 330 ( 217 ) is transferred to an upstream paper transport roller gear 333 via drive transfer gears 331 and 332 .
  • This drive force rotates a roller 334 , which is one of the two rollers in the upstream transporting means 307 and which is coupled with the upstream paper transport roller gear 333 .
  • the other roller 335 of the two rollers in the upstream transporting means 307 is a driven roller.
  • the drive force transferred to the upstream paper transport roller gear 333 is further transferred to a downstream paper transport roller gear 336 via a relay gear 339 .
  • This drive force rotates a roller 337 , which is one of the two rollers in the downstream transporting means 308 and which is coupled with the downstream paper transport roller gear 336 .
  • the other roller 338 of the two rollers in the downstream transporting means 308 is a driven roller.
  • Such a gear train includes a series of gears between the rotary drive source 330 and the downstream paper transport roller gear 336 , as described above. Accordingly, the number of gears increases. Thus, it is difficult to reduce the size of the printer apparatus.
  • a third embodiment including another type of a gear train that is suitable for reducing the size of the printer apparatus is now herein described.
  • a printer apparatus has a similar structure to that shown in the first or second embodiment with the exception of the structure of the gear train.
  • the gear train according to the third embodiment is now herein described with reference to FIG. 10 .
  • a drive force of a rotary drive source 340 is transferred to a drive force transmission gear 342 , which is freely rotatably disposed, via a drive force transmission gear 341 .
  • the rotary drive force transmission gear 342 transfers the drive force to an upstream paper transport roller gear 343 and a downstream paper transport roller gear 346 so as to rotate a roller 344 and a roller 347 at the same time.
  • the roller 344 is one of the two rollers of the upstream transporting means 307 .
  • the roller 344 is coupled to the upstream paper transport roller gear 343 .
  • the roller 347 is one of the two rollers of the downstream transporting means 308 .
  • the roller 347 is coupled to the downstream paper transport roller gear 346 .
  • the roller 345 is a driven roller, which is the other of the two rollers of the upstream transporting means 307
  • the roller 348 is a driven roller, which is the other of the two rollers of the downstream transporting means 308 .
  • Such a gear train can eliminate the need for the relay gear 339 shown in FIG. 9 , thereby reducing the size of the gear train. As a result, the size of the printer apparatus can be reduced. Furthermore, since the number of gears is reduced, the manufacturing cost can be reduced.
  • one of the two rollers of the downstream transporting means 308 is a driven roller freely rotatably supported.
  • the leading edge of the recording sheet 303 moving towards the downstream transporting means 308 does not always move straight, but sometimes slightly swings upward or downward. Therefore, the leading edge collides with either one of the two transport rollers of the downstream transporting means 308 first (see FIG. 7 ). If the leading edge collides with the rotating drive roller, no problem occurs. However, if the leading edge collides with the driven roller, the shock of the collision is large compared with that resulting from a collision with the rotating drive roller, since the driven roller is not rotating when the recording sheet 303 collides with the driven roller. As the magnitude of the shock increases, the transport speed of the recording sheet 303 varies more easily. Consequently, uneven density in the recording image easily occurs.
  • the downstream transporting means 308 includes two rollers either of which is a drive roller so that a shock is reduced regardless of which roller collides with the recording sheet 303 .
  • a control is performed so that the pair of rollers of the upstream transporting means 307 releases the pinch of the recording sheet 303 at a predetermined timing.
  • the transport speed of the recording sheet 303 is maintained constant, and therefore, the occurrence of uneven density in a recording image can be prevented. As a result, a stable high-quality recording image can be output.
  • the upstream transporting means 307 may also include a pair of rollers each of which is a drive roller. In this structure, a shock can be reduced when the edge of the recording sheet 303 collides with the upstream transporting means 307 .
  • the pair of rollers serves as a pair of rotators that feeds the recording sheet 303
  • the pair of rollers is not intended to be limited to such applications.
  • a pair of rotating belts may feed the recording sheet 303 in place of the pair of rollers.
  • the thermal transfer method is not intended to be limited to such applications.
  • the recording unit may employ a thermal recording method in which an image is recorded on thermal recording paper without using an ink ribbon.
  • the recording unit may employ an inkjet recording method in which an image is recorded by ejecting ink from a recording head.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Accounting & Taxation (AREA)
  • Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
  • Finance (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Strategic Management (AREA)
  • Development Economics (AREA)
  • General Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
  • Marketing (AREA)
  • Economics (AREA)
  • Game Theory and Decision Science (AREA)
  • Entrepreneurship & Innovation (AREA)
  • Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
  • Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
  • Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
  • Delivering By Means Of Belts And Rollers (AREA)
  • Handling Of Cut Paper (AREA)
  • Electronic Switches (AREA)
  • Handling Of Sheets (AREA)
US11/385,403 2005-03-25 2006-03-21 Image forming method and image forming apparatus Expired - Fee Related US7517079B2 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (6)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP2005088620A JP2006264238A (ja) 2005-03-25 2005-03-25 画像形成方法および画像形成装置
JP2005-088620 2005-03-25
JP2005128965A JP2006306542A (ja) 2005-04-27 2005-04-27 サーマルプリンタ装置
JP2005-128965 2005-04-27
JP2005-168211 2005-06-08
JP2005168211A JP2006341441A (ja) 2005-06-08 2005-06-08 記録装置

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US20060227195A1 US20060227195A1 (en) 2006-10-12
US7517079B2 true US7517079B2 (en) 2009-04-14

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US (1) US7517079B2 (de)
EP (1) EP1705022B1 (de)
KR (1) KR100754040B1 (de)
AT (1) ATE534527T1 (de)
TW (1) TWI325372B (de)

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JP2006175777A (ja) * 2004-12-24 2006-07-06 Canon Inc サーマルプリンタ装置
JP5779929B2 (ja) * 2011-03-24 2015-09-16 セイコーエプソン株式会社 印刷装置、及び、印刷方法
US20210069834A1 (en) * 2019-09-11 2021-03-11 Curio Holding Company Method, device, and system for protecting a touch screen
JP7536512B2 (ja) * 2020-05-29 2024-08-20 キヤノン株式会社 画像形成システム

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JPH08108590A (ja) 1994-10-07 1996-04-30 Matsushita Electric Ind Co Ltd 画像プリンタ
US20020070991A1 (en) 2000-09-27 2002-06-13 Seiko Epson Corporation Printing up to edges of printing paper without platen soiling
JP2002283635A (ja) 2001-03-26 2002-10-03 Alps Electric Co Ltd 熱転写プリンタ
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Also Published As

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EP1705022B1 (de) 2011-11-23
EP1705022A2 (de) 2006-09-27
KR20060103208A (ko) 2006-09-28
EP1705022A3 (de) 2010-03-17
US20060227195A1 (en) 2006-10-12
TW200704539A (en) 2007-02-01
TWI325372B (en) 2010-06-01
KR100754040B1 (ko) 2007-08-31
ATE534527T1 (de) 2011-12-15

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